Sledge and the rustling run
As a youth my Granddad Bill made his way west and when he returned to the Gravelly Spur, he brought with him the stories of the Old West, gunfights, cattle rustlers, ranchers who ran large ranches like kingdoms.
Join me as I walk through the dusty trails down the old western road in my mind’s eye.
Granddad Bill galloped across the Rattle R Ranch almost in perfect synergy with his chestnut brown horse – Sledge.
In one hand he held Sledge’s reins and in the other he gripped tightly to his Colt 45 aiming towards a man galloping ahead of him.
Bill was returning fire with the cattle rustler that he had stumbled upon while checking fence along the eastern boundary of the ranch.
Bill was gaining ground but neither had yet hit their mark. He had expended his last bullet and holstered his gun and he and Sledge gave their all to catch up to the other cowboy.
Bill saw his chance to overtake him as the rustler took the lower trail around Buzzard’s Roost, so Bill and Sledge zigzagged on the mountain trail and Bill brought Sledge to a stop and then climbed on a rock that hangs out over the lower trail.
Just as the rider neared the rock, Bill leaped towards him knocking him from his horse and the two twisted and turned as they rolled down to the bottom of Buzzard’s Roost, exchanging hits.
As they came to a halt Bill gained the upper hand landing a blow that subdued the man which towered over him. Seeing that he was out, he pulled the galluses from his pants and tied the man’s hands together behind his back. In the rolling both had lost their guns, so Bill recovered them and then walked over and picked up his hat, dusting off the brim. He whistled loud and soon Sledge had made his way down to him.
Bill took his rope from the saddle and finished tying up the rustler, tying the other end to Sledge’s horn. He then bent down and poured some water from his canteen on the man.
As he came around, Bill climbed up in the saddle, pointing his now loaded gun at him and said, “I think it’s time for you to get up and take a little walk. You have a choice, you can take a leisurely walk ahead of me or see how well you can gallop behind me, which will it be?”
The man chose the leisurely walk and Bill took him in to the main house. Abel McKinsey locked the rustler up in the smokehouse until they could take him into the sheriff the next day.
Abel gave Bill the rest of the day off, so he whistled and Sledge came and nuzzled up next to him and Bill climbed up and they galloped off towards the sun to find another adventure in the shadows of the Texas sun except this time there would be a fishing pole and a creek involved.
